fisher@star.DEC (Burns Fisher ZKO1-1/D42 DTN 381-1466) (03/13/86)
From Aviation Week, March 10, 1986: Senior NASA engineers said that, in light of the accident and concerns raised even before the accident, it is unlikely that they will approve use of (composite case SRBs) because of serious flight safety concerns involved with using such materials. A decision not to use the lighter composite cases would seriously affect the US Air Force's plans to launch a heavy (spy satellite). Without the lightweight cases, Vandenberg shuttle payloads for missions to polar orbits would be reduced to about 27,000 pounds--5000 lb. below that needed for the new recon spacecraft that represents one of the shuttle's most important military payloads. --->Use of a "heads up" launch technique from Vandenbert, instead of the inverted flight attitude used for climbout from Kenedy, is under consideration as a possible solution to the payload problem. The shuttle would be launched so that the crew rides upright through about Mach 2, instead of rolling inverted shortly after liftoff. Using this technique could recover about 4,000 lb. of the payload shortfall. But it raises flight technique, abort and other issues--including the need to increase the initial thrust of the steel case solid boosters that would be used in place of the composite boosters. <End of quote from Aviation Week...editing in parens is mine> Can anyone speculate on why flying upside down causes a loss of 4000 lb of payload capacity? Perhaps lift from the wings pushing the craft down? Burns ...decwrl!rhea!star!fisher